Oilers Coach's 'Unfortunate' Message About Stuart Skinner Decision
Oilers Coach's 'Unfortunate' Message About Stuart Skinner Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Twenty minutes into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers looked like a lock to take a 3-1 series lead with three chances to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup ahead of them.
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The Edmonton Oilers were undisciplined and overwhelmed to start the game. Down 3-0 to a team that excels at playing with a lead, Edmonton was dangerously close to getting pushed to the brink in the Stanley Cup Final.
Instead, the Oilers made a change in net, and that helped flip the outlook of the game and the finals as a whole.
For the second straight game, head coach Kris Knoblauch pulled starting goaltender Stuart Skinner. This time it came after just one period, with the 26-year-old having given up three goals on 17 shots.
'It's unfortunate for Stu to be pulled there,' Knoblauch said after the game. 'Our team was flat. We needed to change things up, and it was great the way (Calvin Pickard) played. He made some really big saves."
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"I didn't think there was many shots in the second period, but there was a couple of really good quality ones that he came up with."
Knoblauch didn't commit to a starter for Game 5, but judging by his decisions and the outcome of the back-to-back benchings of Skinner, perhaps there's not even a need for that.
'As the game went on, the one (save) in overtime, (Pickard) got his glove on it just enough to keep that from going in, and it was great to see him make the saves when we needed them,' Knoblauch said.
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner has been benched in consecutive Stanley Cup Final games.Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Pickard stopped 22 of 23 shots in relief, including a critical overtime save on Sam Bennett that clipped the crossbar after deflecting off Pickard's glove.
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'I kind of read it pretty well,' Pickard said of the save. 'Then I heard the crowd oohing and aahing, and it was a good bounce.'
Leon Draisaitl, who scored the overtime winner shortly after that stop, credited Pickard directly for the victory after the game.
'He's coming in, he's cold and it's not easy," Draisaitl said. "He makes those stops at the key moments that we really need them. He's been nothing but spectacular for us.'
Skinner has now allowed 13 goals in the past three games and was visibly frustrated after his second early exit.
Pickard, meanwhile, is 7-0 this postseason. He is the clear front-runner to start Game 5, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET Saturday in Edmonton with the series now a best-of-three.
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Related: Taylor Swift's Gesture in Oilers-Panthers Game Reflects Stanley Cup Final Madness
Related: Leon Draisaitl's Immediate Reaction to Oilers' Comeback Win Against Panthers
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
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